Chrysina porioni Monzón and Hawks, 2020

Sierra, José Monzón & Hawks, David C., 2020, A new cryptic species of metallic Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from western Honduras, Insecta Mundi 2020 (802), pp. 1-5 : 2-5

Chrysina porioni Monzón and Hawks , new species

Figures 1–13 , 18 .

Type data. Holotype male (deposited at FSCA) labeled: a) “ HONDURAS, Cortés / San Pedro Sula , camino / antenas, 1532 m alt. / 15 JUNIO 2010 / 15.506480 –88.109614”; b) on red paper, “ HOLOTYPE / Chrysina porioni / Monzón & Hawks, 2019” . Paratypes (46 males and 13 females) with data as follows: Same data as holotype except “ MAY 1996 ” (2 males and 1 female) ; same data except “ JUNE 1998 ” (6 males and 5 females) ; same data except “ JUNE 1999 (5 males and 2 females); same data except “ APRIL 2008 ” (2 males); same data except “ 15 OCTOBER 2009 ” (4 males); same data except “ SEPTEMBER 2011 ” (1 male and 1 female); same data except “ JUNE 2014 ” (6 males); same data except “ 15 JUNE 2015 ” (7 males and 1 female); same data except “ JULY 2015 (1 male and 1 female) ; same data except “ JULY 2017 ” (2 males) ; “ HONDURAS, Cortés: El Merendón (11 km al Oeste de S.P.S.), bosque nuboso, CG N150°20.774 ′ W88°07.032 ′ EPE 12 mts, 1575 m, trampa de luz, 01/VI/2011, J. Blackaller & D. Robacker col” (9 males and 2 females) ; “ HONDURAS, Cortés: Cusuco National Park, Visitor Center , 1550 m., 4–5 JUNE 1997, D. C. Hawks, MV light” (1 male) . Paratypes deposited in the collections of EAPZ, UVGC, MdCL, DCHC, JMSC, KPC, MDC and THPC.

Description, holotype male. Length 23.0 mm; width at elytral humeri 10.5 mm; maximum width (middle of elytra) 11.5 mm. Dorsal surface brilliant and polished metallic yellowish silver ( Fig. 1 ); clypeus anterior margins, ocular canthi and lateral pronotal margins pink; antennae dark brown, scape dorsally pinkish silver; ventral surface ( Fig. 2 ), pygidium, epipleuron and legs light brown with iridescent golden and green reflections. Head weakly convex, frons very finely and sparsely punctate, punctures shallow, becoming denser and deeper along free clypeal margins; clypeus ( Fig. 5 ) semicircular in dorsal view and apically reflexed; interocular distance 1.8 times wider than antennal club length. Mentum laterally rounded with anterior fourth laterally expanding with rounded edges and angulate anterior margin; posterior margin almost flat and slightly concave, longitudinal middle furrow complete; surface with punctures scattered and deep ( Fig. 6 ). Pronotum at base 2.6 times as wide as interocular distance, polished with sparse, fine punctures visible only at high magnification; 5.5 mm long and 9.0 mm wide, widest at posterior angles, marginal bead effaced between inner borders of eyes and weak in front of scutellum. Elytra 16.0 mm long, smooth, striae weakly impressed, visible only under magnification; apical umbone conical in dorsal view, slightly prominent; lateral margin completely beaded. Pygidium shagreened with dense, finely rugose punctation laterally, disc smooth; subapically convex and prominent towards apex ( Fig. 7 ). Venter with metasternum with abundant long pale setae; mesometasternal process long and extending past mesofemoral base, rounded in dorsal view ( Fig. 8 ), sharp and slightly depressed in lateral view ( Fig 9 ). Legs with protibiae clearly tridentate, apical and medial teeth well developed, third tooth smaller. Genitalia with parameres fused, asymmetrical; length of genital capsule 9.0 mm ( Fig. 10–13 ).

Female. Similar to male except body more convex; tarsi slightly less robust; abdominal apical sternite not depressed. Inferior genital plates simple ( Fig. 18 ), slightly asymmetrical (based on female with database label JMS11843).

Variation. The type series of 60 specimens exhibits little size variation. Males: length 22.0– 23.5 mm; width at elytral humeri 10.0–11.0 mm; maximum width 10.5–12.0 mm. Females: length 23.0–24.0 mm; width at elytral humeri 11.0– 11.5 mm; maximum width 12.0–13.0 mm. Fifteen male specimens (35% of all males) represent a

genital plates, scale in mm.

metallic golden color morph ( Fig. 3–4 ). One of the fifteen golden males has a very bright red venter and anterior half of the clypeus, and the legs have a paler reddish tint.

Diagnosis. Chrysina porioni is a (typically) silver species in the Chrysargyrea Group (sensu Hawks 2001), of which there are four species in Honduras and Guatemala. Among these four species, the most distinctive is C. strasseni (Ohaus) , which is metallic both dorsally and ventrally, and the only silver Chrysina species that has the head and pronotum golden. C. pastori (Curoe) can be easily separated by its dorsal and ventral greenish-silver color and by its unique male genitalia, in which the parameres narrow to a thin, sharp apex. The only species with which C. porioni can be confused is C. ericsmithi . These can best be separated by the male genitalia, which have similar but differently shaped parameres ( Fig. 14–17 ). The most conspicuous differences in the parameres are wide, flat, obtusely triangular lateral flanges in C. porioni ( Fig. 10 ), and narrower, more acutely triangular flanges in C. ericsmithi ( Fig. 14 ).

Distribution. Chrysina porioni is known only from western Honduras on the eastern slope of the Sierra del Merendón west of San Pedro Sula and in Cusuco National Park, at elevations between 1500 and 1600 meters above sea level. Chrysina ericsmithi occurs in a low elevation (1100 m) cloud forest on the western slope of the Sierra del Merendón in eastern Guatemala, Izabal Department, near Negro Norte. Both of these species occur at low to moderate elevations and apparently are separated by the high elevation north-south crest of the Sierra del Merendón.

Etymology. It is our pleasure to name this beautiful species for our friend and great insect collector Thierry Porion from France.

Figures

Figure 18. Chrysina porioni female inferior

Figures 1–4. Dorsal and ventral habitus of Chrysina porioni, scale in mm. 1–2) Holotype male from type locality. 3–4) Paratype of golden color morph from the same locality.

Figures 5–9. Chrysina porioni, structures of holotype male. 5) Clypeus. 6) Mentum. 7) Pygidium. 8) Mesometasternal process, ventral view. 9) Mesometasternal process, lateral view.

Figures 10–17. Chrysina porioni and C. ericsmithi male genital capsules, scale in mm. 10) C. porioni dorsal view. 11) C. porioni ventral view. 12) C. porioni right lateral view. 13) C. porioni left lateral view. 14) C. ericsmithi dorsal view. 15) C. ericsmithi ventral view. 16) C. ericsmithi right lateral view. 17) C. ericsmithi left lateral view.